Midnight Rambler (Jack Carpenter Series #1)

Fast-paced Thriller Does Not Disappoint

There's still a lot of mileage to be gotten out of that old warhorse of a plot: the down-and-out, disgraced cop who proves his mettle and is vindicated. Throwing in a vicious serial killer and his nasty henchmen doesn't hurt the story either. An attempted kidnapping in a Disney theme park boosts this tale's adrenalin even further, and provides a surprising connection to the serial killer and his evil plans. This is a book you'll gobble up like a box of pricey chocolates - a great read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Goes At Breakneck Speed!

This book sucks you in at the beginning and never lets go. Jack Carpenter is an ex-cop now working as a private investigator to find missing persons. Jack operates like Dirty Harry and treats the bad guys like the dirt they are. He has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get them to talk, even if he has to shoot out their kneecaps. One thing that always bothered Jack was that he never got enough evidence on the victims of a serial killer (Skell) that was put away. It was only by chance that he was able to pin one of the victims murders on Skell. When the book begins there is new evidence that someone else may have killed the victim that Skell was convicted for. Jack is sure that Skell killed them all and must work hard to prove it before Skell is let out of prison. Jacks unorthodox style and clever deductive work lead him to locate a whole network that seems to be operating with Skell and if they are not caught, a new wave of serial murder/disappearances will start up. I could not put this book down and finished it in a couple of sittings!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Jack Carpenter is the protagonist, solving abduction & murder is his game. On the skids with almost everyone, he loses his cop job, his wife, his reputation, got no dough, one bad thing after another befalls him, but nothing deters him, except a couple of quick interludes for finding kidnapped children. He was chief of the abduction team in Boward County, Fl and quite good at it, thus the demand for his service in a pinch. Frustrated, and maligned, but not defeated he crawls from his hole, with the help of a key FBI agent, a horny old cop, the unconditional love of his daughter, and Buster his new dog and loyal companion. He copes and weathers many small battles, & ultimately the war. The Stones 'Midnight Rambler' will never sound the same. Tense and gripping a wild ride for sure. Located in South Florida, a travelogue is included.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Engaging Read

My father recommended this book to me and I read it in two days. This will not be the last Swain book that I read. Liked the Carpenter character and I'm anxious to see where he goes from here.

Found a new great author!

Woo-hoo! I am so happy. I have found another great author to follow. I love his writing style and the storyline. Jack Carpenter is a larger than life character. He is strong, yet broken. Benefit for me, the stories take place where I used to live! I can easily visualize exactly where the character is based on the descriptions in the book. I have read the other two books in this series and cannot wait for the fourth!!!! Get writing James Swain, I need the fourth book!

Connelly and Patterson Watch Out

Excellent Read, Could not put it down and I haven't had one of those authors in a long long time. If you have to put it down all you will think about is getting back to it. Jack Carpenter is the character 'Without a Trace' needs. Mr. Swain GIVE ME MORE...

A reviewer

I first picked up a Swain novel revolving around his casino sleuth, Tony Valentine, several years ago and have read several since. I find the most interesting aspect of these Valentine novels to be the insights Swain provides into the underbelly of casino life. The rest of his work seems pedestrian and mundane to me and I began to wonder why I continued to read the series. When I read the slash page for ¿Midnight Rambler¿, I was quick to explore this new, ¿grittier¿ character and the promises of a new direction for Swain. Despite what you read in these reviews, Jack Carpenter is little more than recycled Tony Valentine in ¿Midnight Rambler¿. In this first installment of an apparent new series, the promised grittier character that is more prone to violence and more explosive was apparently kept under wraps, or more accurately turned out to be Jack¿s dog, not Jack. The most exciting and interesting new character offered in this book is Jack¿s dog whose appearances I found myself anticipating more than Jack¿s. I did appreciate the insights into the realities of missing persons and lost children 'statistical as well as anecdotal', and the harrowing scene in Disney World was a great case study in itself. But I felt the entire time that Tony Valentine had changed addresses and specialties. There was a ¿softness¿ about the book and its characters in that as the mystery and conspiracy began to come into focus, the conspirators were too quick to ¿roll over¿ and take their medicine. I found a lot of character stereotyping from Jack¿s angry former police colleague, to Skell¿s groupie wife, to the fickle media, and to the child abusers themselves. There is a very readable mystery here, especially determining who the various conspirators are as things begin to unravel. But the various subplots are dealt with summarily and shallowly at times for instance, there is little back story of why these abusers teamed up in the first place, what their interactions are, etc. Warning disclaimer: Plot details follow for prospective readers. Similarly, the whole setup for Skell¿s release from prison and his intended revenge never really reaches the ¿payoff¿ the writer intended and I suspect the reader expected. The sudden demise of Skell¿s wife, his attorney, etc. seemed to be little more than sudden housecleaning by the author. And the author¿s failure to tie up all the loose ends¿portending a follow up book is a device of which I have quickly grown weary. Please write books that stand alone, that have a clear beginning, middle, and ending so that we readers can make our own decisions whether we want to read the next book based on its merits alone and not on whether we must read it to see how things ultimately turn out for the ¿bad guys¿.

Buster's Song

Great read. Characters I could actually understand and cheer for. I wanted to promise Jack that I would take Buster if anything happened to him. What a fantastic dog and companion. Things got so bleak for Jack, but he continued to prevail. Bravo....

riveting stand alone thriller

Jack Carpenter was once the chief investigator of the Broward County Missing Persons Unit. He went after sexual predators preying on throwaways and runaways while also trying to help the lost youngsters when he could. Eight girls that Jack assisted have disappeared working the case leads Jack to Simon ¿Midnight Rambler¿ Skell. Melinda the prostitute insists Simon tortured her and held her prisoner. Simon was convicted of killing a hooker although no body was found or any bodies of the missing eight. That case cost Jack his career as he was forced to resign due to using excess force his marriage also collapsed subsequently. Skell is doing hard time, but new evidence surfaces when the victim he was convicted of killing is found in a shallow grave on her sister¿s land. Her pimp is accused of the homicide because he lives there Skell is to be released and freed to go after Melinda and Jack unless the former detective can stop him first as the authorities choose to ignore his plea to keep her safe. When Melinda vanishes just after a shocking radio announcement, Jack goes after pedophile serial killers to rescue her or die trying. ---- James Swain, known for his Tony Valentine mysteries, writes a riveting stand alone thriller starring a fascinating character who the world believes is a washed up loser. However, Jack remains confident that he is right about Skell and sets out to affirm his theory with solid proof regardless of the danger he faces. One action scene follows another in rapid machine gun style giving readers no respite to catch one¿s breath. Although over the top, the vile villains and the courageous man makes for a one sitting gripping read as High Noon comes to Florida. ---- Harriet Klausner

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